23/07/2016Pennine Open Pennine Sailing Club

Streaker Open Meeting at Pennine Sailing Club, 23rd July 2016

Report by Ian Priest

The Streaker fleet were welcomed to Pennine Sailing Club by warm sunny conditions and a light to medium breeze. This was very similar weather to the event the previous year, so visitors were starting to believe the weather conditions were always like this here, despite being high up in the Peak District above Sheffield. Five vistors from all corners north of the Watford Gap joined the three boat local fleet for some very competitive racing.

The first race started at the first attempt. Very quickly Isaac Marsh, fresh from his 2nd place at the windy national championships a few weeks earlier, demonstrated he was equally as quick in lighter shifty conditions. Competition was very close for second place though, with five different boats taking this position through the race. By the end of the race, Isaac won by a significant margin, Ian Priest in 2nd and local sailor John Hollis in third.

After an excellent lunch, the fleet returned to the water in slightly breezier conditions which helped everyone burn off their large plate of pasta bolognese. Again, Isaac Marsh took the lead early on, but this time the remainder of the fleet were snapping at his heels throughout the race. A minor navigational error by Isaac briefly gave Ian Priest the lead, but he failed to hold this to the finish. By the end of the race the top three positions were the same as the first race, but these positions were only fully decided by the middle of the last lap with very close racing from front to back of the fleet.

In the third race, Steve Blackburn took the lead off the start, and continually swapped places with Isaac Marsh for most of the race. Places third to eighth were very close, with one (who will remain unnamed) competitor falling out of the boat in the excitement and discovering that the water was still very cold despite it being mid July. At the finish, Isaac Marsh took his third win of the day, Steve Blackburn 2nd and Ian Priest 3rd.